Perseverance
by HyperMuse
Summary: In the future after the lives of Harry Potter and his children, Lucas has to live in a wizarding world that is set against him. Vivacious characters, adventures, and more. Generic summary is generic. Just read it to find out. OC all over. T for safety.
1. Chapter 1: A Night Ride

_AN: This is my first fic, so I'd like constructive __**feedback **__if you have any ^.^ I've put this up before, but taken it down. I would like to leave it up this time, and hopefully I can start on it again and finish it, barring tragedy. Read and Review please :D_

_Now for the story. Enjoy._

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><p><em>I shouldn't have to lock the door<em>, he thought. _But I don't want anything going wrong tonight, I have to be careful about everything from now on_.

Lucas used the new chains he got from his friend Ian, which were actually rusted, but quite thick and possessed very useful links scavenged from a nearby junkyard, to anchor his door to the wall. With those locked together, Rick wouldn't be able to get in the room that night. However, he wouldn't be a problem if everything went as planned. Something was finally going Lucas' way.

The makeshift lock wasn't exactly out of place in Lucas' room, which would be complimented if called tattered. The windows were hung with dreary, torn black curtains, which matched the rickety spring bed sheets. The quilt Lucas used was relatively intact, save for the stains, but the walls were atrocious. Well, what you could see of the decaying wooden boards, at least. Lucas had been able to afford posters to cover his walls by collecting beer cans littered across his living room floor and trading them in for some change. He would go to the post office down the way and pick up their weekly _World Travel _posters, showing far off places Lucas had never dreamed he would be able to visit. Egypt, the Swiss Alps, even London, just a couple hundred miles away from his house in Yorkshire. Things were looking up for him now, and anything was possible now that Lucas knew what he was.

His friends had scheduled to pick Lucas up at half past midnight. He checked the watch Ian gave him, and it was only a quarter after eleven. Lucas checked to see he packed everything he would want to take with him, but there wasn't all that much to take, to be honest. All his possessions fit in a plastic bag: his only good sweatshirt (good meaning that it fit; everything he owned was shabby), an extra pair of sneakers, all the soap in the house (apparently this was the most important thing Lucas had to offer), a woven bracelet, and a picture of his mother. It gave him a glimpse into another life, where his parent held him as a baby, genuinely smiling, happy, and a disembodied arm wrapped around his mother's shoulders. The side of the image was torn off, the last photo of the father Lucas never had. Rick, his step dad, didn't count. This last memorabilia of his mother was the thing he treasured most, along with the bracelet he always wore.

Ian was looking forward to having a fourth person finally come along. With just three people traveling together, he had said things got boring real fast, not to mention the frustrations of spending nearly every waking hour with the same people, especially with one whom almost never spoke. Ian assured him that the new dynamics would be welcome in their daily lives, since kids of any age need friends, particularly those who don't go to school and don't have families. Everyone was still young in their little group, Lucas the youngest at barely 8, and Ian the oldest at 11. Normal runaways wouldn't last a month on their own, but luckily for them, none of them would ever be called "normal" by anyone.

"Fifteen 'til," Lucas muttered after glancing at his watch, lying down on the groaning bed. "If everything goes well, I won't have to sleep on you anymore, ya big junk pile."

Looking back on what happened, it still amazed Lucas to think that he had been discovered, considering he didn't know what he was, himself. _I mean, who could have even seen that I took that man's lunch when I didn't even know I had taken it!_ He thought. "That sub you're eating? You made it disappear from that man in the deli and put it right beside you," Ian had said in their first encounter. "You used magic without even realizing what you were doing. I guess you must have been pretty hungry."

_Magic._

It still made Lucas shake with excitement when he heard those words. "You're a wizard," they had told him. "You can do magic. You can do whatever you want!" At first, of course, it had sounded absurd. Too good to be true. Like Lucas ever got anything he ever wanted, let alone the ability to fix all his problems. It was only believable when they took him to the junkyard and cast actual spells in front of him. They couldn't do it in public, or else the Muggles would freak out. "While it's against the law, it's just a bad idea in general to do magic in front of the Mugs," Ian had told Lucas. "But you don't really have to worry about them. If you come with us, that is."

He felt that Ian and Aurelia liked him, but Lucas had to ask about the other girl, a blonde about his age, who had yet to speak to him and looked rather angry. "Just ignore her for now. She's been upset since we invited her along, so it's nothing to do with you."

They could tell that Lucas was from a bad home, just like them. Wizards didn't do well in the Muggle world, anyway, so there really wasn't a choice in Ian's offer to come with them. _Hmm, let's see_, Lucas thought. _Being miserable with a horrible stepfather, or a chance at a new life, with the friends I never had, doing impossible things with magic. Tough choice._

It had been two long weeks since that first meeting, and Lucas was fortunate that he met the three when he did. They were on their way out of town when they spotted his little stunt, and, after a quick conversation, decided to invite him along. They were staying in the city longer than they normally would to retrieve Lucas a wand, which, he had been told, was absolutely necessary. "Wizards use wands to make the magic come out," it had been explained to him. When Lucas asked about the magic he had just done, Ian shrugged and said, "You grow out of it."

Lucas heard a faint tap, and realizing what it was, woke with a start. He looked at his watch. It was past one in the morning! There was another rap on the glass, and he ran to the window, sighing as he saw two faces grinning at him. Most people would have been startled by two floating figures outside their second story window, but Lucas knew better.

"Sorry, we got caught up in traffic," said the closer of the two, light glinting off of the golden streaks in her tangled brown hair and her playful lime green eyes. Aurelia was riding the Nimbus 3000, a dirty broomstick, but an efficient one, nonetheless. And more importantly, able to _fly_.

Ian was looking around, almost like he was searching for someone who was following him, the street lights reflecting his thin face and shaggy light brown hair. "C'mon, I'm ready to get out of here. Get on with Aurelia, Lucas." Ian instructed.

Lucas handed her his sack and was about to mount the back of her broom when she held out a hand with a wand in it. "Here, take it."

He reached out for it, only for her to pull it out of his reach. Lucas thought she was messing with him at first, but Aurelia was serious when she told him, "No, you have to _take_ it, grab it from me."

"What? Why?" Lucas was confused, and Aurelia just shook her head.

Lucas obeyed and snatched the wand from her, concerned about the sanity of his new friends. "Look the wand works better that way, just trust me on this."

"Hey, where's the other girl?" he asked as Aurelia maneuvered the back of the broom to sit on the windowsill.

"Scarlett? She's going to meet up with us once we leave the city." Ian answered as Lucas climbed on the broom behind Aurelia. "And don't worry, you'll grow on her."

When Lucas lifted his feet up, the broom fell a few feet in the air from the added weight before it stabilized again, and Aurelia glanced back as he put his hands around her for stability. "Aw, Luke, you're so cute." she cooed.

"Shut up and drive this thing." Lucas murmured, still unsure of the safety of a flying stick.

"Oh-ho, you just asked for it." she said wickedly, and Aurelia sped off into the air, ascending almost straight up, and she was somehow urging the broom to accelerate with incredible speed. Lucas shut his eyes and yelled all the way up and into the clouds, Ian following close behind. They leveled off just above the lowest clouds, England's crummy weather helping their nighttime escape.

After the exhilarating, if not terrifying, takeoff, Lucas felt the thrill of being hundreds of feet in the air, going over a hundred kilometers an hour, he reckoned! The feeling of freedom finally washed over him. True freedom, something he never thought he would have. Looking down on all the miniscule buildings and lights, Lucas knew Rick wouldn't know he was gone for hours. He was probably still at the bar getting drunk, completely unaware Lucas was running away. In all honesty, Rick likely wouldn't care the kid was gone, and a missing child report would be the last thing on that man's mind.

This was, by far, the best thing that had ever happened in Lucas' life. It really was a magical experience.


	2. Chapter 2: Blue Bloods

_AN: I'm going to change a few things (namely their ages after this point to be a few years older) when I get the time, clean it up maybe, but I haven't decided anything. Input would be great. This chapter is a bit long winded, hope it's interesting enough you can stick with it. Read and Review, please ^.^_

Two years later… A Pendour private plane soared hundreds of miles away from England, houses and fields and buildings streaking by underneath. Damian knew that his family was now traveling in a muggle vessel, but he didn't understand what made the contraption go. As far as he was concerned, though, the Muggles had learned magic, because there was no other way this giant heap of metal could stay in the air.

"Father, how is this aero plane staying in the air? And why do we have to travel in this muggle invention?" Damian questioned.

Sven, the patriarch of the Pendours, who didn't look up from his leather bound book, merely stated, "Magic." Damian never appreciated his father's so-called humor, the smug hazel eyes glancing up from his reading to speak to his pitifully frivolous child, condescendingly added, "And you know this is the only international form of travel that won't draw attention from the Muggles." Sven was one of the most wealthy and influential men in Europe, and he certainly didn't put much value in his youngest son. Damian had older, smarter brothers that would take up the mantle and uphold the family name far better than Sven thought the 10 year old boy would. The Pendour name was known by most of the wizarding world, the family name being passed down for generations, always to the son most like the father, who inherited the entire collective wealth that was passed down for the sole purpose of furthering the Pendour name and fortune. The family had a reputation of greed and over ambition, but that wasn't what made most respectable people shun the Pendours.

"Tell me again, sir, if you would, what are we going to the Germaine's estate for?" Damian's persistence caused his father to give him an over exaggerated sigh as he set his book down, frustrated with his oblivious son.

Sven shook his head and smiled as if talking to a toddler, his white teeth in stark contrast to his gelled jet black hair, which, like Damian's similarly colored hair, was cut short, businesslike. "I'm going to discuss the expansion of our company into France, and Mr. Germaine should allow us to connect our Floo networks and give us access to their Apparation locations." he explained. Wizards had taken on the Muggle idea of building large trading empires, and the Pendours were one of the first to take up the business.

Damian, tolerating his father's flippancy, asked, "Yes, father, but why do you need _me_ there?" Contrary to Sven's perception of him, Damian was quite intelligent for his age, largely accounted for by the number of hours spent in solitude at the family manor, most of which went to reading in the Pendour library and study. His father understood Damian's introverted tendencies to be his way of not showing his stupidity, an opinion that was pointless to argue.

Sven gave a small chuckle, apparently amused by his own thoughts. "Your purpose here, Damian, is to befriend the young Germaine heiress, if at all possible."

Damian ignored the obvious doubt of his father and focused instead on his own embarrassment. _Of course!_, Damian thought. _Why else would I be coming? I'm just extra baggage for him. But this way, when I fail, he will have proof that I'm no good and this will give him reason to ship me off to boarding school! Even if I managed to become her friend, that would only benefit him because it would make the Germaines like him more._

The Pendour manor had tutors for every conceivable subject, but they were saved for the successful members of the family. Any of the offspring who didn't look like very good prospects were sent to a wizarding school, Hogwarts, which, although not bad, certainly didn't have the exclusivity of a single pupil for a teacher.

_If I did manage to graduate at the top of the Slytherin class, Father would have to acknowledge me in some way_, Damian figured. _Being Head boy would change his mind for sure!_

It was a simply medieval system the wizards had, especially the aristocracy established generations ago, but Damian couldn't change things, so he had to plan ahead.

_Just focus on being friends with this girl tonight and things will never come to that_, Damian told himself.

The rest of the short flight was uneventful, and upon landing on French soil, Mr. Pendour and Damian were greeted by a Muggle man, a chauffeur, and a long black Muggle car. They got in the vehicle and were driven to the countryside, where no doubt the Germaine's probably lived in a castle. Sure enough, the two Pendours arrived at a large gate with an eloquent _G _wrought in metal over it, a castle looking down on them from atop the hill that the road presumably led to.

There was no sign of magic as they drove through the gate, and just when Damian began to wonder about it, the car drifted to a halt. The chauffeur bade them to get out of the vehicle, and as soon as they stepped out, the muggle drove back around and through the gate again, leaving the two alone. Mr. Pendour, picking up on this cue, told Damian, "Take my arm." Just as Damian did so, his father apparated to the entrance of the great castle on the hill. Sven dusted off his coal black suit, another of the muggle's inventions, as if to wipe away the stupid his son left on his arm. Damian straightened his red tie and flattened his white fitted dress shirt just as the great wooden doors to the castle opened.

No one appeared to be attending the doors, so Damian's father led the way into the castle, taking long, powerful strides, the doors closing as he entered. Damian tried to keep up while still looking presentable, but he couldn't hope to match his father's impressive demeanor. Sven, just under two meters in height, towered above most people, his stature reflecting his belief in tough business and the importance of intimidation. The small boy beside him just emphasized his height.

They walked down the stone cobbled steps of the castle's hall, which must have been 10 meters across and 20 meters tall. The walls were made of the same rock as the floor up until the ceiling began to curve into an arch, at which point crown molding enclosed the renaissance style murals, depicting angels, saints, demons, beautiful artwork. Damian, however, just glanced at the ceiling, used to the grandeur. Sven didn't seem to notice anything but their destination, a wooden double door almost as large as the hall itself, metal braces with spikes running horizontally across it. Damian was annoyed at the great length of the entrance hall, about 100 meters, but wondered what could be in the plethora of rooms hidden by doors that littered both sides. There must have been a door every 5 meters, and this sparked his curiosity as to what might lay behind all of them.

"This may be the most important man you will ever meet, so remember your manners and don't screw this up." Damian was surprised by his father's hushed words, as he never admitted anyone was more important than him. But it was undeniable; the Germaine's were practically royalty in the wizarding world. Heck, they even lived in a castle.

Drawing closer to the massive doors at the hall's end, they opened without any help, once again closing behind the Pendours as they entered.

Damian couldn't help but marvel at this room: the famous Germaine Dining Hall. There was an antique French wood table, embossed with platinum designs, that stretched the entire way down the lengthy hall, a hundred chairs lining each side in the same style, a single chair on their end facing a larger, more elegant chair at the head of the table. That wasn't the magnificent part of the hall, though. Shaped like the entrance hall, and almost equally sized, the entire wall and ceiling of this room was covered in spectacular, moving landscapes. A rain forest on the left turned into a savannah in the middle of the room, transitioning to a tundra by the end. The entire hall had different, moving environments that were alive, with the wind gently kissing the grass and trees in some places, but tearing through the flora in others. These amazing landscapes were not only life-like, they had life _in_ them. Fantastical creatures populated the habitats, sometimes in their own environments, other times not. A large, fire breathing salamander in the desert ran across the ceiling, through an ocean and into a tropical forest where it disappeared in the foliage. A man-eating monkfish dropped from the ocean and into a river in the Middle East. A yeti chased a saber tooth tiger from Antarctica to Siberia. Damian couldn't help but stare in awe at the vibrancy of the hall, his father even basking in the brilliance of it all. They both snapped out of their daze when the door behind them opened, and they spun around to see none other than Felix Maximilian Germaine himself. He was a man as tall as Damian's father, if not more so, and his dirty blond hair was wavy and slightly messy, hanging just past his ears and just above his eyebrows, successfully making him look younger than he actually was. He wore long, purple robes, trimmed with gold, that trailed on the floor behind him, in true royal manner. Beside the Lord Germaine was his daughter, Liliana Charlotte Germaine.

Liliana had decided on wearing a modest darker orange knee-length dress that day, accentuating her acute baby blue eyes. She wasn't ever that worried about how she looked, it just didn't matter much to her, but Liliana still thought it was a waste to look so cute for a visit from the Pendour man. He may be of a high class, but Liliana still didn't have to like him much. She knew the history of that family, had seen what they'd done on occasion, and she certainly didn't approve of any of them.

That morning, Liliana had breakfast with her father, a truly rare occurrence. He was gone more oft than not. But, as she suspected, there was a reason for this.

"Mr. Pendour will be arriving later this afternoon," Felix announced in French, just after he finished his third course. "We will be discussing business matters, and as I am aware, he is bringing his youngest son. I insisted that you would entertain our guest."

Liliana let out a disbelieving grunt, unable to speak for the food in her mouth. Felix waited for her to finish her bite, as he could expect to hear an earful from his feisty daughter.

"Daddy, you can't be serious. They're vile, the Pendours! You know that." She began. Liliana's relationship with her father was a strange one. When they were together like this, all alone and at home, it was like they were just father and daughter. However, anywhere not so informal (which, really, what is more informal than breakfast at your own house with just your father?), both had to uphold their expected statuses. Felix Maximilian Germaine was a high profile business man, and Liliana Charlotte Germaine a lady, as well as a Knight in training. All members of the Germaine family were required to attain a Knight status in their own royal guard, Chevaliers de L'avant-Garde Française. Anyone unable to do so would not inherit any possessions, any claim to their empire, nor, most importantly, the ability to retain the family name. This tradition went back hundreds of years, and though discontinued in the 17th century, the Germaines adopted it once more when they became as nobility many generations ago. Liliana disagreed with the whole system, but she couldn't do anything about it. _And it shouldn't be that hard to become a knight, anyway_, she always thought. _I've had private tutors since I was born, and all of them have called me a prodigy_.

"And besides that, we're practically enemies! You, of all people, know what they did to us, and…"

"Liliana, that's enough," Felix cut her tirade short. "_They_ have not harmed _us, _just as France as it is now has not harmed England. The past is another matter that is irrelevant at this point, in both instances. Now please, Liliana, just let us conduct our business, as it should prove profitable for our family. You may one day be rewarded for these ventures. I don't expect you to personally like these Pendours, as I myself do not, but please, don't do any irreparable damage with his son that might harm our negotiations."

Liliana couldn't argue with her father on this point, but his winning of the argument didn't make her have to like it any more. She sulked around the castle for the remainder of the day, no tutoring sessions to take her mind off things, no enthusiasm for playing Quidditch or Velius to cheer her up. She played with her hair some, tying it into ponytails, buns, braids, wishing at least Blaine, her best friend, was around to talk to, not vacationing in America.

Blaine was the one who had convinced Liliana that the silver streaks in her light blonde hair were barely noticeable, and when you did see them, they actually looked stylish. The Germaine family had always grown silvery hair in old age, so the lustrous strands of silver in Liliana's hair were certainly alarming to her. She'd grown used to it, however, as that wasn't a feature people tended to dwell on. It was Liliana's eyes that really interested and amazed people. Under normal circumstances, they were baby blue, which everyone agreed were pretty on their own, though when Liliana was mad or particularly excited, they flared lavender. It was quite a sensation when they changed, and it amused and intrigued guests to parties hosted at the castle, the adults awed by the incredibly cute Germaine daughter. Socialites absolutely adored her, but it was only on these rare celebratory occasions that Liliana was seen. Felix, not wanting his daughter negatively influenced, kept Liliana in the castle to nurture her abilities, until a time when he thought she was ready to fend for herself. That time came sooner than she thought, Felix telling her the news just prior to the arrival of the Pendours.

"What do you mean I'm going to Hogwarts?" Liliana asked as she and her father made their way to the dining hall. "That's all the way in England, and Blaine is going to Beauxbatons…"

"Liliana, please, you can use Floo Powder to get here anytime, and I have arranged for Blaine to attend Hogwarts as well. The school has history for us, and it will be a quality experience for you. Girls and boys will be in attendance from around the world, so your competition will be much greater than if you attended an all girls school restricted to the French. If you are to become a Knight, you will need to be cognizant of many walks of life. We expect you to be no less than first in your year, and in time, the school." Her father then stopped and turned to her, adding, "Maybe you can leave a legacy of your own there, too."

Liliana was nearly offended that her father thought she would ever be anything but the best in her class, like anyone could match her eclectic tutoring. She had been taught by some of the best wizards in Europe, the knowledge of whom far surpassed that of anyone's ordinary instructor. Even the Pendour boy's education failed in comparison to hers. Felix led the way into the grand dining hall, both Germaines ignoring the familiar activity upon the walls. Before them stood a tall man with black hair the color of crows and smug eyes, wearing a top-of-the-line Muggle business suit. Sven certainly fit the profile of the classic Pendour, in Liliana's eyes. His son, Damian, stood next to him, had similar dark hair, though he had hazel eyes, unlike his father's dark brown. The boy was just a hair shorter than Liliana, but he seemed much smaller because he did not mimic the other three's proud posture, a virtual prerequisite of the upper class. Damian was different, somehow, less arrogant-looking than Liliana had imagined he would be. He was actually a fair looking boy, though not to Liliana, who vilified both in her mind.

"Welcome, Mister Pendour, to our humble abode." Felix greeted his guest in English, extending an open palm, Sven taking it and shaking it firmly.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity, Felix." Sven replied, who looked rather pale, Liliana thought, upon closer inspection.

_Maybe he's a vampire_, Liliana mused. _It certainly would fit his personality type, those leeches_. Her thoughts were only provoked by observing his son, who also appeared to have little experience in the sun.

Felix raised an eyebrow slightly at Sven. "Mister Germaine will do just fine, Mister Pendour."

"Yes, your Excellency," Sven said quickly, his head tilting slightly to the floor.

"Please, Mister Pendour, I'm not royalty." Liliana knew the man was just trying to suck up to her father, trying to get anything out of him he could in their dealings.

"Perhaps not, but you could be king of the industry if we do business." Sven said with a grin.

Felix chuckled. "Ah ha, yes, yes. We will discuss business ventures later, but for now, let us dine." He clapped and silverware appeared in front of both end seats of the massive table and the adjacent right seats, as well as finger washing bowls for each of them. Felix and Liliana both strode towards the head of the table at the opposite end of the hall, while Sven stood beside his understood chair at the near side. It took a moment for Liliana to notice, but there was another pair of footsteps behind her, the light tread of Damian. He wouldn't be so daft as to think his seat was by Felix's, so what would he be doing?

Felix stepped beside his seat and turned to face Sven, the great length of the table separating them, while Liliana faced inwards, standing to the left f her seat. Damian stood on the right, and curiously pulled the chair out, looking expectantly at Liliana. Upon realizing what he was doing, she pushed the chair back in and told him, "I am capable of seating myself, thank you."

Damian blushed, promptly turning and returning to his own seat. It was quite a long, and what Liliana imagined as awkward, walk for the boy, who finally came to rest beside his seat after what seemed like an eternity.

Simultaneously, as if by invisible cues, they all pulled their chairs out, sat down, dipped their fingers in the bowl, dried them with the small towel, and took the napkin to place over their laps. The water bowl disappeared through the bottom of the table and was replaced by their first appetizer. The only person to eat it was Damian, who took only one bite. That was replaced by a second appetizer, which Liliana enjoyed while the others sat motionless. This pattern continued in silence until the third meal course, where Felix spoke across the hall.

"Liliana will attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, beginning this fall semester. Our own Ambassador Christophe Potier will be overseeing her progress."

"Is that so?" Sven projected his voice back. "Coincidentally, young Damian here will also be going to Hogwarts. We expect nothing less than the best." He seemed somehow amused at this, while Damian became focused on straightening his silverware and plate.

Felix gave a half smile. "It appears they will be class mates."

The rest of the meal proved uneventful and silent. Upon finishing the third dessert, Felix announced, "Ah, what a lovely meal prepared by our gracious chefs."

Liliana, too, thanked the chefs in French, the partial staff of house elves they paid to cook for them. They were paid a minimum fee, which included compliments after each meal. The Germaines always offered more, but the elves were modest.

Felix rose from his seat, the others following suit, and proceeded to the other side of the table. Felix and Liliana walked to the front of the hall by the Pendours, standing beside each other as if they were in the army and awaiting orders.

"Mister Pendour, if you would please accompany me to the West Business Room, I would be happy to discuss you proposals." Felix told Sven, who looked almost giddy.

"Yes, sir. I am very excited about our future together." Liliana was almost sorry for her dad, having to spend time with him. Almost.

The two men began to walk out of the hall together when Felix told Liliana, "Be sure to accommodate our guest, please, dear daughter."

Liliana was displeased with her father. As the doors closed, Sven started talking business, "So, about those flying carpets…"

The doors shut with a resounding _thump_, leaving Liliana and Damian together. Alone.

Liliana enjoyed the silence that followed from Damian. He stood still and let it stretch on for minutes before he spoke.

"I hear you're a fair Chaser." His voice was soft and timid, but not weak. Peculiar for a Pendour not to assert dominance over the situation.

Liliana decided to humor him. "Yes, I do play a fair bit of Quidditch when I'm able. You're a Chaser as well, I assume?" She made an effort to talk as the adults do, not wanting to give this boy any ground on her.

Damian looked down at his feet, shaking his head slightly. "No, no, there's no way I'd have been able to be a Chaser. No, I'm more of a Seeker." Liliana would have thought of the Pendours as more people of action, but she attributed this anomaly to Damian's likely curiosity in all things shiny.

"How quaint."

They stood once more in silence, save for Damian's random, useless comments to Liliana. "Great paintings on the walls." "Very good meal. Very good." "That dress goes well with your eyes." Oh, _please_.

Finally, after Damian tried asking about what house she would be in at Hogwarts, Liliana got fed up and snapped at him.

"Stop! Damian, just… stop!" She said emphatically, trying not to be too loud about this. He looked surprised, and whether it was at her outburst, her eyes flaring purple or a combination of the two, she didn't know. "I know your father's put you up to getting on my good side, but you don't have to be so awful at it!" Damian was looking panicked at this point. "You and your family are vile, and I won't stand to be around you. You and I both know what _your_ kind is like. We all know what you've done." Damian was turning a bit pink in the face, looking very indignant, but he said not a word.

_Hah, I was exactly right, and he _knows _that I am_, Liliana thought. _I bet he would love to be associated with a well respected family like ours, unlike his corrupt, greedy ancestors_.

Damian took a few moments to collect his thoughts, then began, "Well, I'll have you know…" before he was interrupted by a strong voice emerging through the opening hall doors.

"There isn't much I think you would be able to tell our young Miss Germaine that she doesn't already know." Christophe Potier, the ambassador for the Germaine family, entered the hall, his broad shoulders and strong arms still apparent over his thick blue and gold business robes.

Damian became quiet after the large man stepped beside Liliana. His jaw was clenched, but he kept his face straight. _Probably seething with anger, now that he can't insult me_, Liliana thought.

"I'm surprised you put up with him for this long." Christophe spoke to Liliana in French, peering down at her. "God knows how your father stands that man in there."

Liliana felt better with Christophe there. More at ease. "This one doesn't seem quite like the others, somehow. I'm not sure what it is."

The Ambassador smirked. "Probably more devious. Otherwise, they're all the same. That family has been that way for a long time."

Damian was left in the dark at this foreign conversation as the doors opened to Sven and Felix shaking hands. They both looked moderately happy, a successful meeting, ascertained to Liliana by the nod Sven gave to his son.

"Our business is done here, so I'll bid you farewell. Thank you for accommodating us, Mister Germaine, Misses Germaine." Sven said, giving each a small bow as he addressed them. He turned to Damian, seemingly expecting the same, but the boy turned and strode swiftly out the door and down the entrance hall. Sven tried unsuccessfully to contain a smile, following his son out.

Felix turned to the ambassador and his daughter with an eyebrow raised. Both shrugged innocently.

Damian was silent on the plane ride home. His father, however, found it immensely funny and burst into small fits of laughter at random points during the flight. Sven had asked how things had gone with Liliana. Damian's silence and angry demeanor thoroughly amused his father.

It wasn't anger that plagued Damian, though. It was loneliness, always loneliness, that made him hurt on the inside. His family was a curse: uncaring people, loathsome, he knew. He'd heard it all his life. Not directly, except for Liliana, of course, but whispers. Murmurs. No one talked to him. He was a _Pendour_. It was a dirty word now. People never cared if he was different. No matter what he did, Damian was still a Pendour.


	3. Chapter 3: The Disappearing House

_Lucas flipped the pages of the book he had, struggling to see the letters in the dim light from the street lamps shining through his window. _It's not like it'll make much difference_, he thought_. These words don't make any sense, and I don't know what any of this means. I'll never learn to read like this… _His options were limited. Rick, his step dad, didn't approve of Lucas going to school, or learning at all._

_ Just as Lucas was putting his book away, the front door opened and slammed shut downstairs. He quickly stashed away his treasure and ran to lock his door, grabbing the chain nailed to it and tying the chain to the hook in the wall. He backed up slowly and sat on his bed, listening intently to the sounds of the house. Lucas' breath caught in his chest as he heard the first step of the staircase groan in protest from the foot that settled upon it. A chill came over him as the sound of footsteps slowly rose up the stairs, staggering thuds indicating Rick's drunkenness. Rick reached the top of the steps and stood just outside his stepson's door. Lucas' heart was pounding in his chest. The man paused, and then called for Lucas in a hoarse voice, knocking on the door, but there was quiet in the house. Lucas expected the worst, but he heard the sloshing of liquid as Rick took a drink and turned down the hall. Relieved, Lucas moved backwards onto his bed, but he knew he made a mistake at once when the bed screeched in the silence. The squeaky bed gave him away, Rick's heavy steps heading towards Lucas' room. He tried shoving the door open, but couldn't because of the chains. Rick hit the door, and yelled at Lucas to come out. "_I know you're awake in there, you little bastard!" _Lucas crawled into the corner of his room, hoping the chains would hold against Rick, who was ramming against the door. With a _crack, _a few links broke, Rick stumbling into the room. He looked around slowly until his eyes came to rest on Lucas in the corner, who was looking at the man, terrified. Rick was obviously very drunk, still holding a bottle of vodka in his left hand, reaching into his front pocket with his right._

_ "_Why didn't you answer me, boy?" _his speech was slurred_. _He took his hand out of his pocket, something in his grasp. "_Looks like I'll have to teach you some manners." _He flipped open the knife he held, the one Lucas was all too familiar with. He was helpless against Rick, who was slowly advancing on him. Lucas' breathing was fast, his heartbeat faster, as Rick picked him up by the collar of his shirt, pressing the side of the blade to his face. "_We're going to have fun tonight._"_

Just as Rick slid the knife into the boy's back, Lucas woke up with a start. He had a cold sweat, but he knew that everything was alright now. He hadn't had a nightmare about his old life in a few months. They had all been about her… This one had jarred him a bit, even though Lucas had not seen Rick for years.

Lucas took a deep breath as he propped himself up on his arms, tilting his head back and closing his eyes, calming himself down. He exhaled slowly, bringing his head upright again. He looked at the small window that matched the curvature of the Den, seeing the faintest traces of light that signified the early dawn.

_It's not too early to go see her_, Lucas thought. He wanted to find solace in his friend, who would surely make him feel better. As soon as he got up, though, he completely forgot about his own problems. Aurelia stood at Lucas' door, still in a t-shirt and sleeping shorts, tears in her eyes. She, it seemed, also had a rough night.

"Oh, come here, it's okay." Lucas welcomed the girl into his arms, and they slid down to the floor together, Aurelia's tears now staining his shirt, her soft sobs the only disruption of the quiet morning ambience. It was times like this they felt like little kids again, and it was times like this that they needed each other most. Even though it had been a long 6 years since Aurelia left her broken home, she still couldn't get rid of the nightmares that plagued her sleep. She stopped telling Ian: he always just told her to get over it and went on with his day. Lucas was much more compassionate, knowing firsthand what it was like to have bad memories of his family. He had similar troubles in the early months, dealing with the thoughts of his step father attacking him, but Lucas' nightmares eventually subsided. Aurelia, however, still had trouble coping with the emotional abuse of her parents fighting. They sometimes fought with words no young child should hear, and other times with sharp or otherwise dangerous things in the house. Her mother had often beaten the father with pans, who would retaliate by throwing fists. Aurelia, whenever she tried to stop it, was shoved aside and verbally abused, called stupid, ugly, worthless. She had once even watched her father beat her mother with a toaster, strangling her with the cord at one point.

Lucas had to calm her down after replays of these episodes that haunted her. He did the best job of assuring her that she was beautiful in every way, that she meant the world to her Luke, and even Ian. He would never let his angel and those sapphire angel eyes of hers get hurt, and real relationships would never be like her parent's. She would only get the best, and he would make sure of it. She would never have to go back to anything like that, and she only had great things ahead of her. "Soon," Luke would always say, pressing his forehead into hers and looking right into her eyes, "You'll see your brother again. He'll love you like the family you never had, and you'll go out in the world, learning, making new friends, _living_." He looked away and gestured to the rest of the world the last past of the sentence, always optimistic for her. "Well, you two are the only friends I need, Luke." Aurelia said, squeezing her arms around his chest. On her more doubtful days, she would ask him, "What if my brother is a bad person, too? What if he is a drunk, or a Muggle?" Luke always gave her his priceless smile and crushed her in a bear hug. "Then I guess you're stuck with me, and we'll have our own family." He'd run his fingers along her tickle spots and make her laugh, the sign that she was ready for the day. They'd get up and leave the Den, preparing to survive another day on the road. They did so this morning, just as they had done so many times before, but they never mentioned what went on at night past that. All of them had their own demons to face, but in time. Their days demanded too much of them for anyone to be distracted.

"How's breakfast coming along, bud?" Aurelia asked Ian, who was lazily cooking meat over a floating fire.

Ian scanned the floating words and images in front of him, no doubt going over the plan to search for his parents, but the golden script shimmered out of existence when he swished his wand through them. "Good as ever." he said, looking at the flames on his right and turning over the meat in midair.

"In that case, I'll get some antidotes ready." Lucas and Aurelia laughed together, and even Ian couldn't help but smile.

"What, would one of you two like to cook today?" Suddenly, Lucas' joke became not so funny. "Yeah, I thought so."

Aurelia sighed. "We're just joking, Ian, we know you're a good cook, and it's hard to make this old meat resemble a meal, but we should have good food for months after we get done here." The plan for the day was to find Ian's real parents in the largest wizarding city in England, Norrington, but they needed food, and if the past was anything to go by, there would be no lost relatives found that day. But there was always hope, and that's all they had.

Lucas magicked two stumps over from the forest for Aurelia and himself to sit on. It was a nice fall day in the woods, and not too cold to boot. There were multicolored leaves scattered all around the forest floor, trees losing their last bit of color, turning a pale shade of brown. The trio was in the area surrounding the wizarding city, and soon, Aurelia and Ian would travel a half mile west to find the people they were looking for. And no matter what happened, there would be plenty of good food for them to eat for a while, whether they found Ian's parents or not.

"Okay, Luke, while we're gone, why don't you look around for some food, just in case something goes wrong?" Aurelia liked to plan ahead sometimes, and it was good of her, because their lives were unpredictable at best.

With a wave of his wand, Ian put out the fire and dispersed the small pieces of meat to each of them, gliding through the air and coming to a stop in front of each. "Yeah, that's a good idea." He added, again waving his wand and making plates appear, a strange manner of herbs and spices being sprinkled from midair on their breakfast. "Clean up the campsite and bring everything with you. We'll meet up here at a quarter after seven."

Lucas grabbed the levitating plate and cut up his food with his wand, magically lifting up the pieces and placing them in his mouth. "Alright, will do. Hopefully, there'll be some deer around."

"Yeah, or maybe even a grunk-snout boar! Remember how good that was last time?" Ian chimed.

Aurelia finished her last piece of meat, getting up and making the plate disappear. "Yeah, it really was, but it almost trampled Scar-." The word caught in her throat. Both Aurelia and Ian looked down and away, not wanting to look Lucas in the eyes.

"So, I guess you two should get outta here." Lucas got up and began to clean up the campsite, covering up their tracks with leaves and dirt.

"Uh, yeah, guess so." The older kids immediately regretted bringing that up, but Lucas seemed not to notice at all. It almost worried them more. "We'll just leave then." Ian, wearing shredded jeans (a recent style that had been popular with teenage wizards) and a shirt with flared long sleeves, started the walk west with Aurelia, who wore a trendy Pendour jacket, white jeans and faux sphinx fur boots. Really, both looked like normal, attractive wizarding teenagers: Ian with his light brown hair and chocolaty eyes, lean muscles under his clothes, Aurelia equally strong, her golden hair falling to her lower back.

"Don't get caught!" Lucas called after them.

Aurelia looked back and smiled. "Wouldn't even think of it."

He watched as they flitted away through the forest, leaving Lucas alone. All that was left to pack away was the Den, as they called it. The large, white sphere was actually a post-modern wizard invention, "the only way to camp for the rich!" the adverts said. With a touch of his wand, the large unit shrunk to a miniature version of itself, the large D.E.N. letters barely visible. They didn't bother finding out what the acronym stood for, so the three just called it the Den when they stole it from an elderly wizard gentleman who spit on a little homeless boy. He didn't know what he had done, though, for Lucas took the man's recently bought D.E.N. away from him, without the geezer even knowing.

_Served him right, that did_, Lucas thought as he put the now weightless Den in his backpack. The campsite now cleared, Lucas put a noiseless charm on himself and headed northwest, up the slight slope of the small mountain. Instead of magically locating game like he usually would have done, Lucas decided to hunt the old fashioned way, finding animals off the clues of the forest. He never passed up the opportunity to hone his skills, because you never knew when you'd need them.

Trudging up the inclined land, Lucas noticed antler markings on a tree in front of him. _Ah, so there are deer in this part of the country_. He studied the markings briefly, and then cast a scentless charm on himself. _Those things are clever little animals, but no match for wizards_. Lucas dropped his gaze to the forest floor, looking for possible tracks. He spied some that were east of north, imprints in the wet earth between crushed leaves. _Gotcha now_.

Lucas quickened his pace, jogging silently through the trees, dodging thorns and felled trunks. Within two hours, he had caught up, stealthily hiding behind a thick Silver Birch, watching the buck forage through the leaves for some fresh grass. It looked like a Roe deer, but it wasn't easy to tell from 200 meters away. Lucas raised his wand, taking aim at the creature as he had done so many times before.

Just as he was about to take his prey, Lucas heard a branch break above him. Spinning his head to look, he saw a giant shadow jumping down at him. He rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the giant spider that had tried to jump on him. The ground shook with the force of its leap, and the deer, noticing the strange shaking, took off. Lucas swore under his breath as the spider took another leap at him, its black, beady eyes full of hunger, its fangs dripping with venom. With a flick of Lucas' wand, the spider lost the legs on its left side, spinning in midair and collapsing at the ground before him.

"Mortecavus!" Lucas slashed his wand through the air, purple light coming from his wand. The spider writhed and curled up, its insides now devastated. "Incendio!" The spider's corpse burst into flames, and would soon be reduced to ash. Lucas couldn't stay, though, so he doused the area surrounding it with water so that the forest wouldn't light up. He took off after the buck at a sprint, tucking his wand back in his pocket.

As he ran, Lucas began growing short black fur all over his body. A moment later, a tail erupted from his backside, and with a leap in the cool air, he completed his transformation, feet and hands turning to paws, fingernails to claws, as he morphed into a panther as black as night. He took off after the deer, letting out a feral cry, paws noiselessly and nimbly guiding him through the woods, flying past trees and bushes. The deer was fast, but he was faster. Coming up behind the fleeing animal, he made his move, pouncing high into the air, front arms stretched out and claws glinting in the sunlight. Just as he reached the top of his arc, the deer slammed into something, and Lucas overshot his prey. Looking back and trying in vain to stop himself in midair, he twisted his long body, but came crashing to the ground, tumbling through the tall grass. To his dismay, as soon as he oriented himself, the Roe had gone without a trace.

Lucas swore under his breath as he morphed back to his human form. _What good is being an Animagus if I can't even catch a non-magical creature?_ He thought. It was actually the first time he missed a kill, but it could hardly be considered his fault, given what he stumbled upon.

Lucas saw that the woods broke in the area around him, tall, green grass making up a circular meadow around him. If he looked to the west down the side of the mountain, Lucas would be able to see how far he'd come, the distant city of Norrington miles away from where he was, but that sight over the forest was not what had caught his eye. The enclave, about a hundred meters in diameter, had no trees or plants other than the season-contradicting grass, only a small house in its center. It was a one story dwelling with a red shingled roof, white wood walls with red shutters on the windows. There was a covered porch in the front, white like the rest of the house, with a decorative wooden fence around it. It looked well taken care of, but Lucas didn't know who would be here when there was a large wizarding city within sight. Almost as if in a trance, Lucas walked toward the house, feeling a strange connection to it. He ascended the steps onto the porch, getting the feeling that he really wanted to go in. Lucas was about to touch the doorknob when he came to his senses, suddenly wary of the danger this house might hold. He sidestepped and put his back against the wall by the door, drawing his wand, wondering if this was a charm like the Siren's song he had been subject to at one point.

"Homenum Revelio." Lucas whispered, pointing his wand at the house. To his surprise, there wasn't anyone there. _Well, I can't waste an opportunity like this_, he told himself. Without another thought, Lucas began checking for every type of curse and hex he knew how to look for, on the door knob as well as everything around him. Curiously, there wasn't a thing there to be afraid of. Going inside, he wondered, _Maybe this is a Muggle house?... _But he knew that wasn't true when a soft, evanescent voice spoke to him when he set foot in the house.

_Welcome, kin_. Rather than hearing it with his ears, Lucas heard the voice in his mind, almost like it was his own thoughts. Was it? Could it have been his imagination? It did not linger, and there was no visible change inside or outside. Lucas didn't know, but he studied his surroundings inside the residence. The whole room in front of him appeared to be the living room. The walls were a smooth red, all about 7 meters long and 3 meters high, electric bulbs lighting the room. On the left was a brick fireplace with a mantle above it, an ordinary brown couch facing it. Besides the small wooden table on the right of the couch and the pictures on the mantle, the room was bare. Lucas walked over to the fireplace, looking at what this mystery person had pictures of. He was amazed to discover that all of them were of the same people. From left to right, the moving shots appeared to chronicle the lives of a family, a mother, father, two boys and one girl, and they were all laughing and smiling in their photos, a quite attractive bunch. The mother had flaming red hair and brown eyes, the father green eyes and messy black hair, a trait he seemed to share with his sons. The girl, however, got the red hair from her mother, as well as the eyes. She seemed to be smaller version of her mother, and the middle boy a mini version of his father. The eldest was a mix of the two parents. The man appeared to have something on his forehead, but Lucas couldn't make it out. Their green eyes did look familiar, though, as Lucas saw them whenever he looked in a mirror. It wasn't common to find people with eyes as vibrant green as his.

Walking away and into the next room, he found that he was in a white kitchen, clean as can be, similarly lit by electric bulbs. There was a refrigerator on the right against the wall, fitting in a gap between the cabinets and the counter tops. He checked the refrigerator for food (first making sure it wasn't hexed), but there was nothing in there. Lucas opened all the cabinets and drawers, but there wasn't a crumb anywhere in sight. _What kind of a person cleans a house, but has no food in it?_

Put off at being unable to find anything useful in the house, Lucas went back into the living room. He almost walked right by the door on his right before he noticed it was there. _Was this here earlier? How did I miss it? _The house was getting stranger by the minute. Lucas checked for only a few basic curses before he decided it wasn't worth it and turned the knob. By what he saw, he knew it couldn't be possible except by magic. There were giant bookshelves, at least 10 meters tall, and they went almost 30 meters away from where he was standing. Golden ornamental candelabras curved away from the bookshelves, providing a warm, dim candlelight. There were two more long, wooden bookshelves in the middle of the room, and each of them was filled with all manners and assortments of books. There were mostly leather bound books, all shapes and sizes (a circular one caught his eye, shivering slightly between two larger rectangular volumes), some worn, others almost brand new. The more modern ones seemed to be near him, and it was as if he was traveling back in time when he walked to the back, the books aging with each step he took. The light was getting dimmer as he went as well, drawing his attention to a podium in the back of this glorified study, a ray of light shining down upon it. Standing in front of the red oak wood stand, he beheld the large volume that was resting on top of it. It had a pleasant green cover, the spine crimson. Gold letters were embossed on the front, a simple inscription_. _The sides of the pages had a silver sheen, and the entire book seemed to be shrouded in gold, glimmering mist. Going against his better judgment, Lucas reached out for the book, feeling that it was immensely important, somehow. Just before he touched it, the tip of his finger was slit, and a drop of blood fell on the cover. Lucas recoiled instinctually, though it didn't hurt, but he noticed that his blood didn't stain the book, it was absorbed into it. He looked at his finger tip, but there was no mark, no cut, no indication his skin had been slit at all. Lucas reached down for the book once again, somewhat more apprehensively this time. He picked it up, and the world seemed to stop. The air was still, candles stopped flickering, the gold particles froze, Lucas wasn't even breathing. He felt like something had changed, like the universe was as it should be for a moment.

He came back to reality, realizing what time it must be. Lucas delicately placed the book in his pack, not wanting to damage it at all, and he turned around and left the study. When he went in the living room, the door behind him disappeared, but Lucas didn't notice. He left through the front, and now only, door, jogging down the side of the mountain, west, to where the campsite was. He couldn't apparate, as it could draw attention to where he was, so running was all Lucas could do. The sun had begun to set, telling him that he was going to be late. _C'mon, don't get there before me_, Lucas hoped.

At half past seven, Lucas blazed into the small clearing where the group had camped the night before. He let out a deep breath, glad he hadn't been late this time. Aurelia always chided him for not being prompt, because anything could have happened to him. Now he could badger her about her tardiness. Lucas cast a disillusionment charm around himself, a simple spell, one no respectable wizard would have trouble seeing past, but it would give him an extra split second to jinx anyone who came along. There were no unexpected surprises, however, as Ian and Aurelia wearily marched up to the meeting place about five minutes later.

"What took you so long, huh?" Lucas teased them. The two both ignored him as they changed rather hurriedly into their traveling clothes, stained brown pants and jackets, Aurelia conjuring her own curtain to stand behind. "What, did you not find anything? It's alright, we'll get 'em. Just have to keep looking, that's all."

"Not now, Luke. Let's just get out of here." Aurelia spun him around to throw her now shrunken clothes into the pack.

Lucas was puzzled. "Why do we have to leave now? We haven't even had dinner yet."

Ian shot him a peeved look. "We'll have dinner somewhere else. It'll have to be what you got because we didn't get anything." The two older kids looked positively sullen.

"Well I didn't catch any food, but we can go get some now. I was held up by…" Lucas barely started before Ian burst into a yelling fit.

"You didn't catch any? What the hell! Can't you do anything!" he was shouting right into Lucas' face, which quickly turned from a smile into a nonplussed frown. "I thought you were supposed to be good for something, but apparently not! And we can't stay here, so because of you-" at the last word, he pushed Lucas back with emphasis, "-we won't get to eat tonight."

Aurelia stood by, watching the two, wondering if she should interfere at all. Lucas, who seemed calm enough, just said back to him, "I was sidetracked by something. And I was under the impression that you two-" he said, pointing at them, "were going to bring back enough food to last us for months." At this, Aurelia looked down, but Ian just became angrier.

"Oh, so now it's us that has to do all the work? Why can't you pick up any of the slack once in a while? Just because Scarlett's gone doesn't mean you have to mope around all day!"

At the mention of her name, Lucas' face turned into a steely stare. Aurelia, knowing things were going too far, tried to step in and tell Ian that he was out of line, but Lucas started talking. "She doesn't have anything to do with this. And for your information, I don't mope around all day. Do you want me to tell you what I was doing or not?" Lucas' cold gaze made Ian slightly uneasy, but he was in a state.

"Don't pretend like it doesn't matter to you! Since that happened, you haven't done a thing to help us!" Ian was screaming in Lucas' face now, both about even in height.

"Ian, please don't bring that up. You're just mad because-" Aurelia's pleas were cut off.

Ian shook his head vigorously. "No, I'm going to bring it up!" He was on a tirade now, bellowing at the stoic Lucas. "I haven't brought it up until now, but we've known!" Lucas' jaw tightened imperceptibly. "Scarlett died because of YOU! If it wasn't for YOU, she'd still be here! YOU'RE the reason she's de-!" Before Ian knew what was happening, he was slammed onto the ground, claws piercing all of his limbs, a black mass on top of him, razor sharp teeth just centimeters from his face, an unholy and terrifying roar filling his ears. As quickly as it had happened, Lucas morphed back and jumped off of him.

Aurelia was in a state, first yelling at Lucas, saying, "You can't solve any problems like that!" then turned to Ian, who was still shaky after getting up, telling him, "That was horrible of you to bring that up! Luke wasn't responsible for that!" She turned to Luke, ready to console him, but didn't seem affected at all. Quite the contrary, he was almost cheerful. "Luke, I…"

"I'm sorry, I overreacted." He apologized sincerely, looking to both Aurelia and Ian. "Now, what happened with you two?"

Aurelia narrated for Ian, who was nursing his small wounds. "Well, we went down to Norrington and searched for hours, but there was no trace of his parents, no clues. When we tried to use the Leprechaun gold we came across, it immediately vanished in the vendor's hand, so he took back all of the food we bought and signaled for an MRO. We think we lost them in the city, but they're probably still looking for us. That's why we need to get out of here."

Lucas nodded, but pleaded, "Well, I found this amazing house to the north a few kilometers, and it is absolutely brilliant!" When Aurelia looked skeptical, he added, "There was a giant library in it." At that, it was decided (by Aurelia) that they were going up to see it. In the fading light, the three knew it was safe enough to get out the brooms and fly just above the trees, an act that would draw too much attention earlier in the day. Lucas navigated the way, recalling how far away it was.

When the sun fell below the horizon, they landed between trees, walking the rest of the way, wands lit, in a tight formation. Lucas spotted the place where the deer from earlier had come to a stop, and he ran ahead, beckoning his friends forward. "This is where the house is, come on!" They ran forward, Ian the first to go into the grassy enclave.

"I don't see anything." Ian remarked, slightly confused.

"Aw, but it's right…" Lucas began, pointing with his wand to where the house was. There was, however, no sign anything had ever been there, just tall, green grass. "It was a magic house, it was here earlier! It must be bewitched! We just need to wait until tomorrow!"

Aurelia had that skeptical look on her face again. "Even if it is, we can't stay here another day. I'm sorry, Luke, but we can't!" she added when Lucas looked disappointed.

"Pff, if it was even here," Ian muttered, still sore about earlier.

Lucas was getting frustrated. "I'm not making this up! Look, I even took this book from there!" He took out the volume from the house, showing it to them with the light from his wand.

Aurelia yawned. "Luke, can we look at it tomorrow, please? We're tired, and we still have to set up camp." Ian nodded in agreement, and Lucas knew he was outvoted.

"Fine. You two could use some sleep." Lucas said with a playful smile, tracing the lines around Aurelia's eyes, her hitting him. "Where are we going?" he said as he grabbed Ian's arm and held onto Aurelia's hand.

"Albania." Ian said just before he apparated them all to an obscure forest in that foreign land. "This'll be our home for the next few months. No one will find us here." He told them as they started getting to work on their new camp site.


	4. Chapter 4: Life on the Road

Ian sat Lucas and Aurelia down by the floating fire at their campsite, getting ready to brief them on their situation. It was just two days after they had arrived, the previous one spent getting the Den ready and casting anti-muggle and –monster spells. "Shouldn't we make sure no wizards can get us, either?" Aurelia had suggested. Ian shook his head. "No, there aren't many wizards in this part. Only refugees and criminals." Lucas cast a boundary notifying charm, just in case. "All the more reason to be careful." He muttered.

But today, Ian had their plans for the next few months laid out for them, like always, with Lucas and Aurelia, as usual, humoring him.

"_Flagrate_. So," he started, sketching a map of Albania in the air with his wand, fiery gold lines trailing its tip. "We are in Albania, in _this_ forest." Ian said, emphasizing the words by circling a spot in the top right of the country. "We are close to Macedonia right now, in the district of Has, between two mountains. We're close enough to the Fierza Reservoir, so water shouldn't be a problem, and we're a little bit further south for the winter, so it shouldn't be quite as cold as in the UK or France." Ian was properly French, but it didn't really matter, because they travelled all over Europe without discrimination. "I trust the two of you can get us enough to eat to last through the winter?" he inquired, turning around after he finished tracing the Valbona and Drin rivers.

Aurelia raised an eyebrow at him. "Seriously, Ian? Seriously?" Whereas Ian had a slight French accent, Aurelia's was classic British, just like Lucas'.

Lucas chuckled a bit. "We could get enough food to last us the winter in Antarctica, mate. The only time I've missed catching anything was the other day as a panther." Lucas imitated a panther cry, making Aurelia laugh, but Ian just turned around, swishing away the map and drawing a calendar.

Ian eyed the November calendar he had drawn, biting the tip of his wand and flicking the bottom corner to reveal new monthly charts. "February… March… April… We'll stay until June." When Aurelia gave him a disappointing look, he amended, "But I guess we can go visit Italy for a while in April." This put Aurelia and Lucas both in a cheery mood. Ian hadn't been so flexible in ages. Since the accident, he had been very strict and tried to plan every step of their journey. He was finally becoming more lenient again.

"So, Luke," Aurelia held onto him after Ian said he was done. "Can you show us the book now?" She was always happy about new books. Runaways didn't have much time to study up on spells, and they couldn't exactly go to the library all the time. What they did know they had been taught by a sack of Dark Arts spells Scarlett had given them. It was mostly spells to counter dark magic and defend against it, but there was one book that had dark spells in it that Scarlett and Lucas couldn't help but read. Ian seemed more interested in the magical cookbook (which none of the others had read) and _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. _The others liked to learn the spells that were more 'practical', like blowing things up (which they knew how to do in ten ways), kill banshees (though they had only ever come across one), and make inanimate objects amuse them. They transfigured rocks into puppies, grass to ankle grabbing vines, trees to look like scary forest monsters. As the kids found out, there wasn't much to do when you were always on the run except to practice the magical art.

Lucas smiled at her and summoned the book to his hands, glad that they finally had time to look into his discovery. "Let's hear it, then." He said, handing her the hardback.

Aurelia took it with a sigh, shaking her head slightly. "What are we going to do with you?" she said, taking it from him. Aurelia almost dropped it once it left his hands; the book was a lot heavier than Lucas made it look. They treated it as though every ounce was gold, however.

"Shut up. When am I going to have to read? It's not like I need it."

Aurelia listened and traced her fingers along the golden title. "But it would be awfully helpful if you could. Hmm, it's titled _The Codex: Volume 1, _and it says it's by L.L.P." She held the volume up and turned it to him. "Any idea who this is or what that means?"

"No clue."

"Me, neither." She tried to open the front cover, but she couldn't budge it. "Did you manage to at least open it?" Aurelia tugged harder, but to no avail. "You wanna try?" she inquired at Lucas, who had begun chuckling at her.

"Sure, I'll give it a go." He took the book from her, and with the turn of the cover with his fingers, the _Codex_ opened. Lucas couldn't help but smirk at Aurelia, mouth opened and eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

"Let me see that again." She snatched the now closed volume from Lucas, giving her attempts to open the book another shot. "Why…won't…you…open?!" Aurelia tugged at it with all her strength, her brunette hair flipping up in her face.

"Easy there, tiger, don't hurt yourself." Lucas was amused at her struggle, but she was clearly not, shoving the _Codex_ back into his hands.

"Shut up, Luke." Aurelia walked back to the Den, grumbling and cursing, mentioning something about "brushing her hair", but Lucas knew her better than that. He knew she was lying, mostly because they didn't have a brush. She'd come back later, performing every counter curse she knew on the book so that it would open for her. She hated not being able to do what the boys could. It just came with the terms of how they grew up.

"Figures." Lucas muttered. For now, it seemed, Lucas was the only one who could open the book. _Too bad I can't read. Maybe now would be a good time to_, he thought. Putting the book in his backpack – enchanted so that only he could open it – beside where he sat, Lucas took a look around. Ian apparently had a thing for the woods recently, because he set up their winter hideout in an Albanian forest, one of the ugliest places they had ever stayed. The trees were all brown and gnarly, the leaves and grass on the ground dead, and nothing interesting for kilometers. There was plenty of magical and normal game to hunt in this particular part, but there was the risk of running into other wizards while hunting, so it was agreed before that traveling outside the secure campsite would be done in pairs. Even though they could all probably take on anyone out there themselves, none of them were over the legal wizarding age, and as Ian's new motto went, "Better safe than sorry."

So, for now, Lucas was stuck making small castles out of the dirt, vaguely watching Ian cataloguing a weird shrub he picked up by the tree in the personal wizardry database that he made, scribbling gold words in the air with his wand, testing the magical properties of the new plant. He did this with everything – food, herbs, spells, and most importantly to him, information on his parents and Aurelia's family. Ian had somehow found out how to magically store all the information he wrote, able to pull any of it out of his mind at will. He taught this skill to Lucas, but the younger boy didn't put it to much use. He could never compile all the data his French friend had, though he did draw and store things about the creatures they came across, and what he could understand about the spells they had found out about.

Getting bored, Lucas collapsed the intricate castle he had constructed, knocking out the small dirt support pillars. In the French that Ian had taught him, Lucas asked his friend, "What does that thing do?" Ian looked like he was about done with the dark grey fern-looking plant, and he insisted Lucas talk to him in French whenever it was just them, wanting to keep at least part of his heritage with him.

"Well, it's not edible," he started in French somewhat delicately, almost like his tongue was burned. "But I think if I crushed it and extracted the essence, combined that with a vial of dragon's saliva, then put it in a sort of paste, you could apply it to and heal burns." Ian was biting his lip, looking away in thought. "Of course, you'd have to wait a half cycle of the moon, stir it fifteen minutes a day, and maybe a dash of ground Nargle horns, but it could be just as effective as any other potion for healing burns." Whereas Aurelia couldn't get away from dueling spells, Ian loved everything to do with potions and elixirs. Whenever Lucas went hunting or practiced dueling, their friend could be found experimenting with random ingredients he had found around where they were staying. He kept all his creations documented, their effects, ingredients, directions to make. Lucas had memorized virtually the whole thing in the last few months, which angered Ian, mostly because he didn't have the amazing memory of his younger friend.

"Eh, sounds like too much work." Lucas told him, getting up and stretching.

Ian finished, wiping away the golden words in the air with his wand, smiling as he stashed the new plant in his ingredients pouch. "What, wrestling down a dragon and getting its saliva?"

Lucas laughed abruptly. "No, having to stir the stupid potion every day." He took out his wand from the back of his cargo pants.

Seeing what Lucas just did, Ian pulled out his own wand. "Luke, you better not be doing what I think you are." He was speaking cautiously in English now, knowing his friend was getting bored and not having his usual dueling partner around.

Lucas grinned at him, speaking in English now, too. "Don't worry, we can do it your way." They both now stood about 3 meters from each other, wondering who would move first.

Ian ended up being the first to cast the spell. "_Legilimens_!" He attacked Lucas' mind, hoping to catch him off guard, but they both knew better. Lucas kept him out, pushing back with his own concentration and practice, trying to invade Ian's thoughts instead. They fought silently for a few moments, a metaphysical struggle going on between their psyches.

Ian had a slight edge, being more experienced and older, so as Lucas' strength began to ebb, he cast a stunning spell on his opponent. "_Stupefy!_" Ian barely had time to deflect it, his concentration so strong on the invisible battle. Lucas went on the metal offensive now that Ian's attention was on spell casting. "_Manuherbus!_" The grass began wrapping around Ian's feet, winding into his shoes and around his ankles.

Lucas made another forceful push with his mind, sure that he would be able to breach his friend's defenses, but he was still unable to. "_Incendio!_" Ian set the grass below him on fire, and it recoiled from its grasp on him. He retaliated with an offensive spell. "_Prasinmyxius!_" Green muck shot out of Ian's wand right at Lucas, different sized globules forming in the air.

Before it hit him, Lucas shouted "_Salvscutia!_" Stopping the noxious liquid in midair, he dispelled it, some of the slime landing back on Ian, who covered his mouth as soon as it did, eyes watering. Lucas fell to the ground laughing, the obvious winner when Ian got sick from his own spell, retching behind a tree.

"Yeah, real funny, Luke." He said after he got cleaned up.

Lucas sat on the ground, still grinning at his friend. "Sorry, mate, but you tried to get me with that bloody mess."

At that point, Aurelia came out of the Den, wand in hand, and stopped in front of the boys, fists on her hips. "Well this certainly won't do. You two having fun without me?"

"Not quite, dear." Ian summoned a foldable chair from his room and sat on it, washing his mouth out by squirting water from his wand between his lips.

"Listen," Lucas said, laying down and spreading his arms out on the charred earth. "I'm getting hungry, so why don't we go get something for Ian to cook."

Aurelia eyed him, deliberating. "Your way or my way?"

"Yours, of course."

A smile lit her face before she ran back to the Den and got two broomsticks, his old _SkyRocket 300 _and her _Nimbus 3000. _"Alright, no flying above the tree line, you send your kills back to camp in your own pile, and no locating game. Or morphing into an animal." She added, remembering his relatively new skill.

"First to two hundred kilos wins?" Lucas asked, mounting his broom.

Aurelia thought for a moment. "Nah, let's go 'til sunset."

"Okay, only if you want to get beat that much worse." Lucas said. "Ready…"

"Go!" She took off in a wisp of brown and gold, weaving nimbly between tree trunks.

Lucas kicked off on his broom, zooming off after her. "Cheater!" He called in her direction before turning to the east.

Ian busied himself with cleaning the Den and washing all of their clothes (which, truthfully, there weren't that many), all the while, watching a plethora of creatures floating into two separate piles, slowly growing with the bodies of grunk-snouted boars, one-eyed bulls, vespirts, reindeer, and even a hippogriff. Ian knew those were getting overpopulated in Europe, but it was still curious that either would slay such a noble creature. As the day went on and the piles began to get obscenely high, Ian had to start casting protective spell over the corpses so that the meat wouldn't go bad, keeping away all the nasty insects that liked to turn their food into carrion.

At sundown, Ian looked up from poring over a book on Mediterranean plants to see Lucas and Aurelia tumbling around in the air on their brooms, him diving down on her, Aurelia rolling out of the way, then coming at him from underneath, Lucas then riding upside down and pulling her up. The two descended to the camp, spinning in the air, and they hit the ground, falling off their brooms but still wrestling. Lucas came out on top of Aurelia, sitting on her back, laughing. He stood up and offered her a hand, but she kicked his legs and brought him down again, pinning his arms to the ground, her sitting on top of him this time.

They were both laughing, and she tossed her hair back, taunting, "Ha ha, I won. AND my pile is bigger!"

Lucas raised his eyebrows, and then tossed her off him. He sat on her stomach against her protests. "What was that, again? Oh, and by the way, do YOU have a hippogriff? No? That must be why your pile is so small…" He got up, and this time, Aurelia accepted his hand to help stand.

"Why did you get that hippogriff, anyway? They aren't exactly fair game." She inquired, looking at the mounds of animals at the edge of the camp.

Lucas, looking a bit perturbed, answered, "Well, I was coasting pretty low to the ground about to nab a deer when it attacked me. It didn't seem to have any family or nesting grounds around, and it wouldn't stop, so I had to bring him in. Anyway," He said, brightening up. "Who wins, Ian, Aurelia or me?"

Their friend looked up from his reading, lost, at the two hopeful faces. "What? Why do you have to bring me into this again?"

Aurelia rolled her eyes. "You're the only impartial judge! Who brought in the bigger haul?" He looked put off, so she pleaded, "C'mon, it'll only take a minute."

Ian rubbed his eyes with his left hand, pulling out his wand with the right. "Fine, fine. But they look just alike, so I'm going to weigh them." With the flick of his wand and a simple levitating spell, he lifted both stacks of carcasses. With another simple incantation, Ian made a round rock form in between the two piles, then magicked over a tree trunk, balancing it on the rock. Lowering his wand, the mounds fell into place on either side of the trunk. Slowly but surely, Lucas' side of the trunk sunk to the ground.

"Yeah! Take that!" Lucas cheered, dancing around a nonplussed Aurelia, waving his hands above his head. "I am victorious once more!"

Aurelia grabbed his hands and pulled them down. "Oh, yeah, kid? Well you still have a long way to go. I just went easy on you, since you're still a kitten." She tried to contain a smirk as Lucas' silly grin was wiped off his face.

"I am a cat! A big cat, with claws and fangs!" He said, complete with clawing motions and biting at her with his teeth.

She just tapped his nose, telling him with a smug look, "You're cute. You ruin it when you try to act ferocious." She gave him a little clawing motion and growl before turning and walking to the fire, heading towards Ian, who was laughing now.

Lucas followed her, still not done. "Do you know how many Animagi there are? There's only, like, ten, in the entire world!"

Their arguing continued into the night, Ian chuckling at his two friends as he cooked them dinner. All in all, it was a pretty ordinary day for the three, just talking and hunting. They were starting to settle into their normal schedule, what they always did when they hid from the wizarding law enforcement. They couldn't be found there.

At Hogwarts that very same night, Damian Pendour sat shivering on a bench exposed to the British night air, staring at the starry sky, wondering why he had been cursed to live such a wretched life. He thought someone, somewhere, must be laughing at him, reveling at his pain as Damian wallowed in misery. To his surprise, he spotted one of his classmates walking across the hallway in front of him, a girl in his year, with blonde and silver hair, the only one he wanted to speak to.

"Lily!" Damian called out to her, running as fast as the robes he was dressed in would let him. "Wait, Lily." He jumped the side of the wall and through the pillars to stand in front of her.

"Don't call me that! You have no right. My name is Liliana to you." Liliana Charlotte Germaine always held herself in her best stature, but she wasn't much taller than Damian anymore. She still looked at him with the same contempt that she always had, however.

"Please, Liliana," Damian was pleading with her. "I'm sorry. I'm not whatever you think I am: I'm different. I'm even in Gryffindor with you! Why can't you-" But he was cut short by her hand, which she raised in front of herself to stop him.

"No. You're just as vile as the rest of your family. Like I've told you a million times, I know your history. I know your family. And it doesn't matter what you say!" she scolded him when he began to protest. "Actions speak louder than words, and you showed me last year that you are just as bad as the rest of them." Liliana still spoke with such condescension to him. It hurt.

Damian regretted what he had done, and he made a point to tell her then, as he did now. "I'm sorry! I've told you before, that was the only way you were going to give me a chance!"

She made a sound of disgust at that. "You made me see what you wanted me to see. You used magic – just like your family – to lie to me. You were trying to trick me. I remember it very well. But you obviously underestimated me, because I could easily see past that feeble attempt. It was insulting that you thought I would believe that illusion."

He didn't like hearing it, but Damian knew she was right. "That really did happen, though. I did save that pixie…" He was much less bold now than he had been earlier. "I'm not a bad person like you think I am."

"Well you could have fooled me." Liliana's voice was steely, and Damian dropped his gaze to the floor. "You might be in Gryffindor, but you're still a liar. How can I trust you now?" Damian didn't respond to this, so she strode past him, heading towards their house's tower. She paused just before turning the corner. "I thought you could be different. I've been wrong so far."

With that, she disappeared into the school, leaving Damian standing there alone. The wind blew harder, bringing freezing air through the open hallway, cutting through Damian's robes, but he only felt cold on the inside. The walk back to his dormitory was lonelier than it had ever been the two years before.

Spread-eagled on a blanket, Aurelia stared blankly at the gray clouds in the sky, idly twirling her wand in her fingers. "This sucks."

It was quite an unremarkable day in Albania: an overcast sky brought no rain, stifling air, and a slight humidity. The weather wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't so bad as to be able to reasonably complain. It was the beginning of June, that part of the year between their fun spring vacation and getting back on the road, a trying time. This was always a period characterized by unrest; an anticipation for travelling to new places, and the reminiscing of the fun break the band always took to go to exotic locations. Still, they were all bored to death.

Ian was busying himself reading _A Guide to Magical Mediterranean Meals_, a cookbook he got from Sicily, while Lucas was looking through the book he found the last year again, muttering spells every now and then. Aurelia, frustrated that she had nothing to do, decided on getting the others to talk to her. "So Luke," she started to ask, sitting up with her legs crossed. "How did you fight off those sirens in Capri?"

This piqued Ian's interest, who shut his book and gazed at Lucas, "Yeah, how did you get us out of that? I don't remember anything at all, except for that sweet, but sad, sad song. It was so entrancing…" His eyes drifted off, unfocused, remembering the siren's song.

"Anyway," Aurelia continued, glancing half concerned and half unsure at Ian. "You somehow managed to save Ian and me from being eaten, and I didn't see you plug your ears or anything. What's the secret?" she inquired.

Lucas barely glimpsed at them above his reading when he answered, "There's no secret, I just wasn't attracted to their song like the two of you were." The blonde boy resumed his reading, but his friends weren't satisfied by his response.

"Are you kidding me?" Ian almost burst from his seat. "That was the most beautiful song I've ever heard, and those things were just as gorgeous as Veelas!"

Aurelia grudgingly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they were definitely captivating. So give it up, Luke, what happened?"

With a small sigh, Lucas shut the tome he held and sat for a few moments in silence, one eyebrow slightly raised at the boy and girl listening in wait. "Well," he began slowly, "the song was 'entrancing' at first, I guess, and the sirens looked like beautiful women, but something in me said that it wasn't a good idea to go to them and that they were not what I wanted for myself. After I realized that, I just felt awake all of a sudden. I saw the sirens had you two, so of course I had to save you. And that's pretty much it." He ended kind of lamely, shrugging at his last words.

"So you weren't wearing any magical amulet or… protected by some spell?" Ian was almost in disbelief, as if he were trying to get Lucas to admit that he hadn't just completely overcome a song on his own that had so easily enticed the older boy.

"Nope." Lucas returned to his volume, and a disappointed Ian went back to his recipes.

The sun was probably beginning to dip lower in the sky, but Aurelia couldn't tell from the clouds, which she felt the need to curse at every few minutes. Boredom slowly boiled into frustration as the girl sat there, not knowing what to do and unable to think properly about anything. _Bloody brilliant weather… Perfect for doing something _productive… _I reckon my brother is doing something good right now… He's probably inside, though… I couldn't stand being inside all day… Maybe it would be better than this forsaken country, at least… I hope we leave here soon… I'm tired of this place…_

Aurelia had thought for years that she must, absolutely _must_ have a big sister, because she needed some sort of girl to be close to her. It was a shock to hear just last summer from Ian, who had drudged up some old muggle housing documents, that her only sibling, a boy, had once lived in the Italian city in which they stayed. She had walked in the same streets as her brother! The thought of being one step closer to finding her only remaining family elated her, and she praised the ground Ian walked on for days. The French boy seemed very satisfied with himself, and Lucas, as always, was very optimistic about the whole ordeal. Aurelia still had her concessions, however, and though she tried to withhold her true thoughts on the matter from the boys, she could tell that Lucas knew exactly what she was thinking. _We only know that he used to live there. That doesn't tell us where he is now…_

The wild haired brunette ran countless scenarios through her head about what this long-lost brother would be like now, what she would say to him, and how he would react. Lucas, of course, knew all about it, and he was always up for listening whenever she needed to talk. But frankly, as of late, she had gotten tired of just imagining these things that would probably never happen. No matter how many times she scolded herself for being negative, Aurelia couldn't help but be pessimistic about finding her brother, not to mention that the thoughts were now staling in her mind, lacking the crispness that once drove her on their crazy running-away adventures. The girl really was getting bored and irritated with herself.

In another attempt to fight off her wallowing, Aurelia tried striking up another conversation as the day receded, still laying on her back, limbs stretched out around her and hair hanging all spread out under her head. "Why are you reading about all of those spells, Luke? Ever since we figured out the trick to nonverbal spells, we really don't need to know the names of them. Or are there enchantments in there?"

"Spells, enchantments, hexes, jinxes," he listed, suddenly looking up at her with great energy. "There are even things in here that I don't know what they are! Some of them are simple incantations, but there's some really advanced stuff in this." Lucas closed the tome, using his hands to help demonstrate what he talked of, though looking off in the distance as he recalled the impressive assortment of magic now in his head. "Unfortunately, it _is_ only half of the spells."

Aurelia was well aware of the fact that Lucas' prized possession merely contained the root of words used for spells. The boy, it seemed, had to work out the rest for himself.

"How can you tell what's written there, anyway?" Ian became a part of the discussion then, putting aside his own Mediterranean cookbook. "You never bothered learning how to read." What he spoke was true: Lucas was not able to read.

He shot a glare at Ian. "Well maybe if someone taught me…"

Ian looked at him with wide eyes. "I offered to teach you! You said you wanted to learn French, instead!"

"Oh, that's right." Lucas relaxed, but was still excited about his special book. "Anyway, I don't actually read the words on the page. They're just sort of… projected into my mind. What they mean, how to say them, just like that, whenever I look at one."

His words were met with skeptical looks. "If you say so…" Just as the last syllable slipped from the French boy's lips, Lucas and Aurelia both swiveled their heads to the south. "What? What is it?"

"I think I just heard my charm go off." Lucas answered softly, raising his wand in unison with the girl. "I guess you heard it, too?" he inquired, inclining his head towards her, but not moving his gaze away from the forest.

Aurelia, scanning the horizon, replied in an equally soft voice, "Yeah, the bells definitely went off."

"It was probably just some hunters from a village up north on their way back." Ian offered, yet he drew his wand, confirming what they were all thinking: _Outlaw wizards_.

The trio's bodies were tense, waiting in silence as an invisible sun sunk lower in the sky, beginning to touch the horizon. There was no wind or animals in the immediate area, so the faint sound of steps was unmistakable. The rustle grew louder and louder until dark shapes could be seen through the growth and foliage. Their fears were confirmed.

The first to step into the clearing was a skinny man with dark, scraggly hair hanging from his head. He wore similarly colored black robes that, by the dirt and frays and cuts, had been worn in the wilderness for some time, a look adopted by the man's gaunt and pale face. A bald, rotund man stepped to his left, and he was obviously a few years older than the young man who lead. His yellowing teeth matched his once white wife beater, which hung low over his muggle khakis. On the leader's right came a thin and unattractive woman wearing attire similar to that of a hooker. She wore a short leather skirt and a deep brown top cut low, exposing a boney chest. Her faded red hair hung short and unkempt around her head, not quite reaching her shoulders. The last to emerge from the forest was a figure taller than the rest, but stooped over with a hunch that brought his head level with the others. Although he was covered by an entirely gray cloak, he had a shifty look about him. Ian, the tallest of the kids, stood at least eight centimeters below than the shortest of the intruders, the bald man. The band of apparent outlaws were all grinning evilly, their thoughts apparent from the expressions plastered on their faces.

"Well what have we here?" the male in front stepped forward confidently, hands on his hips, one gripping a short stick, patronizing in a light Scottish accent.

"By the looks of it," said the woman, taking the man's arm, "we have some runaways." She, too, held a small black rod. Her voice was just barely above the man's tone, and her raspy English voice made it sound as if she smoked that horrible muggle tobacco.

The bald man gave a slight _tut tut_. "No, no… I see our new housing arrangements." He greedily took in the Den behind the children, his beady green-puke colored eyes darting around the white spherical structure. He spoke as if English was his second language, also clutching an off green shaft just shorter than a foot in his pudgy hand.

"How 'bout you kids just scamper off, yeah? We'll take care of your stuff." The black haired man was snarky in demeanor and tone. "Isn't that right, Bjorn?" He amusingly looked over at the hooded man called Bjorn over his shoulder, who shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, he doesn't like to talk much. Anyway, you kids just clear- what in the bloody...?"

Ian watched patiently as Lucas and Aurelia finished their game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. The girl grinned as she bested her blond haired friend, who was slightly put off. "Alright, you get to pick." he conceded.

"I'll take the lovers." Aurelia gestured to the two outlaws in front of her.

Ian went ahead and picked out the large man just after her.

The intruder's faces went from confusion to a flash of comprehension, then a look of insult as it dawned on them what the three children before them were doing. "They're calling us out!" the woman cried.

"Very good!" Aurelia feigned laud for the fuming lady. "Glad you could keep up." She couldn't help but add a little sarcasm as she smirked humorously.

The smutty red head glowered at the teenager. "Why you little…" her fists tightened and shook in rage. "You're about to get what's coming to you."

"Think of that all on your own?" The messy haired brunette dodged a curse as it flew past her, darting off with the punk couple close on her tail.

"Nous permettre de voir que vous avez obtenu, gras." Ian spoke to the large man as he circled around him.

"Do not speak that dirty tongue to me!" the bald man spat, wand at the ready. "What are you saying?"

The French boy stopped and his expression darkened. "Let's see what you got, fatty." He taunted. The curses began to fly.

That left Lucas with the hooded figure, which slowly raised an arm, or rather, a sleeve, from which the end of a wand protruded. "We don't have to do this, you know. You could leave right now if you wanted to." Really, Lucas' words were meant to goad the cloaked man (from what Lucas guessed) if anything, but he seemed instead to regard the statement as an earnest offer, the hood cocking to one side and the wand lowered slightly.

The fourth hoodlum was brought back to the reality of the situation when a Conjunctivitis spell exploded at the man's feet, causing startled ripples to shoot through the robes and dirt to fly through the air. In less than the blink of an eye, a bright red hex was headed right between Lucas' eyes. He swiftly and nimbly avoided the initial attack, but wasn't expecting the follow up curse that winged him.

Aurelia flitted through the forest, enjoying the breathless jeers and halfhearted curses coming from behind her. She danced past trees, some of which were unfortunate enough to be struck with all manners of explosive spells and deforming jinxes. One particular curse - that the green eyed girl thought the raving woman had blasted at her – almost hit her own friend in the grey cloak! Deciding she didn't want to continue running the risk of getting hit in the back by a lucky shot, Aurelia wheeled around on the spot, ready to face the incoming attacks, but she was disappointed when none came. Instead, the two pursuers were a ways back, panting heavily, desperately (and rather pathetically) trying to catch up. It was almost impossible for her not to snort and roll her eyes at the pitiful display. The girl put her hands on her hips, waiting for the would-be thieving couple.

Ian was sure that his battle with the large joke of a wizard before him would seem tame compared to the spectacle he was sure his friends would demonstrate, but his methods got the job done just fine. But the French boy had to admit, if not grudgingly, that his foe was not completely inept. The man was somewhat successfully rebuffing Ian's attempts at invading his mind. Yet, it was all in vain. Ian's consciousness was the ocean: wave after pounding wave of relentless assault. The clown he faced had a failing concentration, conceding ground after every offensive spell Ian cast. Overwhelmed, the bald buffoon was doing everything he could to defend his mind and body, but failing miserably. He was clutching his wand with a tentacle, and the other arm was just a large log penetrating from his shoulder. Also, his gait was very odd, and Ian was surprised that he was able to stay upright, considering the lower half of his body was paralyzed by one of the boy's well placed spells. "How ya doin' over there?" Ian laughed at the sweaty man who was starting to look more like an experiment gone wrong, a mix of jinxes and hexes apparent across his body. The outlaw looked doggedly at the experienced Legilimens in front of him, completely caught off guard by the fact that he was a teenager. He was so out of it that all of his weakening attention was drawn to the multicolored sparks erupting from the tip of the brown haired boy's wand, and that was the last thing he remembered. Ian had successfully penetrated his mind and instantly knocked him out. He had no desire to glimpse into the wretch's past.

Lucas deflected yet another well placed spell by the cloaked man he faced. While the others of the outlaw's party were obviously amateur duelers at best, this one had some semblance of talent. At least, he could keep up a stream of accurate and varied spells, but it was no match for Lucas' style. With a swipe of his wand, the young boy dealt an invisible and crippling blow to the hooded figure's wand arm and head, which had surely blinded him temporarily. Smartly, the man had cast a multilayered shield, which protected him from the half dozen or so Stunning spells sent his way within the next second. Too bad for him, those petty attacks were just a cover up for the clever trick Lucas had planned. When the cloaked man regained his vision after a moment, he found himself encased in a large clear container and facing a wickedly smiling boy.

"You … insolent … git." The hunched punk said between heavy breaths. His mate was leaning against a tree next beside him, and they both were too tired to hold their wands up at the unarmed girl waiting patiently for them.

"We have you now…" the woman said, regaining some pretense of composure. "It was definitely a mistake to put your wand away, little girl."

Aurelia laughed mirthlessly. "Because a slag like you would know!"

She had successfully enraged both of the two this time.

"_Acucuspid!_"

"_Psychro saxum_!"

A menacing, tangible lance burst from one wand, while deadly ice rocks shot from the other, both converging on the wild girl. The outlaws would have felt triumph in that second, had there not been a disorienting flash of white. Both turned from the blinding light, and when they swiveled their heads to look at the girl again, they barely registered the fact that she was holding a wand in each of her hands.

A highly amused Lucas watched a highly confused and panicking form in his trap struggle to no avail. He placed the outlaw in a seemingly fragile glass half-sphere. For someone spell-happy, like his foe, it was a complete nightmare, because every spell and curse cast at the magic veil would merely cause it to shrink. And shrink. It would get to the point where it was impossible for the person trapped inside to move, and Lucas' hooded friend was rapidly approaching that point. In a matter of seconds, the man had succumbed to the boy's self dubbed, 'Magical Devil's Snare', one of the few plants that he knew the true name of. _Gosh_, the blonde boy thought to himself. _That looks bloody uncomfortable… Is that his leg by his neck?_

Dodge, weave, slash, stab, slice. Her hair was flung around her head as she defended herself from the oncoming curses and counter attacked, her superior spell work giving her the winning edge over the two she fought. Aurelia deflected a nasty jinx from hitting her torso with her Maple wand and sent a Confundus charm in the same moment back at the exhausted man with her Willow wand. She spun, avoiding an angry jet of flames from the witch, and sent two blue jets of light at the woman before she even stopped her rotation. Left wand pointing in front of her and right poised above her head, Aurelia waited for her adversaries to regroup. The wizard looked like he could collapse any moment but for the fury in his eyes, and his partner staggered to her feet from the hasty leap she made to avoid the teenage girl's Stunning and transfiguration spells. "Is that all you got?" A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Shut it," the outlaw managed. Words were short on these two, though their breath was shorter still. In unspoken unison, the pair made difficult patterns with their wands, and with a few muttered words, their magic materialized. Blood red streaks shot into the ground from the man's rod, and from those points the skeletal forms of animals lurched from under the earth, tendons and sinew fragilely holding the bones together in a gruesome display. Ferocious hares, snakes, six-legged salamanders, crisopods, and an assortment of magical and non-magical creatures alike swarmed Aurelia, thrashing and gnawing and biting at whatever they could find. While the undead creatures were in frenzy, the red haired woman sent a wave of dark green flames hurtling at the young girl. The unholy fire engulfed her as the necro-animals made their strike. The result was a cacophonous clash and fusion of the dark magic, a feat which the outlaws couldn't help but smile triumphantly at. The satisfaction was short-lived, however, as they had to use the quickest of their reflexes to put a barrier between themselves and the expulsion of magic redirected at the casters, luckily dissipating behind them. The witch and wizard looked unbelievingly at Aurelia, who, apart from a few scratches and a slight bit of singed hair, was unharmed. Bringing her wands to their previous positions, she smirked at her foes. "My turn." With another twirl and exaggerated arm movements towards the heavens, the wild girl began to work her own magic. She threw her arms down with force, and with them came a brilliant purple streak which pierced the ground between her opponents. The ground shook, and the earth cracked, fissured, coming apart beneath the villains. Aurelia spread her arms wide, and with them went the chunks of earth, which broke from their massive forms to smaller and smaller pieces, slowly beginning to circle the outlaws, but growing quicker with each revolution. A whirlwind of rock and dirt spun round and round the crater. The captives of the rock prison were helpless. Aurelia slammed her hands together. The earth and rock converged and flew inward. In an earth-shattering crash, the whirlwind slammed into the couple, crushing them in a dirt tomb.

"Are they going to be alright?" Lucas came up behind the jumpy girl, almost causing her to hex him.

"Bloody… Don't do that." Aurelia said, barely able to make him out in the fading light. The sun had just sunken below the horizon. "Yeah, I made sure to just knock 'em out."

"I've taught you well," the boy grinned at her, and she just responded by punching him in the shoulder. "Easy, easy. I think we should pack up and get out of the country, the usual drill. I don't fancy being caught here."

"Or anywhere else, for that matter." Aurelia added, the gold streaks in her hair flashing dimly as she turned and strode back to the Den alongside Lucas. "But yes, this country is particularly nasty. I would hate having to attend that awful Gaspar's Wizarding Academy."

The young wizard nodded. "You and me both." The two arrived at the clearing and found that Ian had already gotten their things packed up and the Den shrunken in his pocket. "Brilliant." Lucas commented.

The French boy got up from his conjured seat and did a little bow. "Thank you, thank you." The stars gleamed brightly in the dark blue sky, and the only traces left of the day were small streaks in distant clouds. "Now… Any ideas on where to go for the summer?"

Lucas thought for a moment before speaking up. "I think I know of a place that should be pretty nice around this time of year." The other two knew that he must have been talking about a spot where he had been on an adventure with Scarlett, but neither wanted to mention her. "We should get there in time for a nice view if we apparate now." The blonde boy slung his pack around his shoulder, and then took Aurelia's hand and Ian's arm before he remembered someone. "Hold on. _Lumos_." Wand out, he scanned the surrounding area until he found the hunched form that he was searching for. "I'm doing this to be nice, so I better not regret this, Bjorn." He whispered, and with a few muttered words, Lucas dispelled the enchantment around the hooded figure, freeing him. "_Nox_." A moment later after a loud _crack_, the Albanian forest was still, save for a certain perplexed wizard's heavy breathing, which continued into the night for a few minutes before turning on the spot and disappearing.

The light from the falling sun was barely kissing the tops of the trees. Everything was basked in an orange luminescent glow. Ian awed in the wonder and beauty of the place. Aurelia was simply and purely radiant. Lucas had apparated them to a meadow in the middle of yet another forest, but they stood in the center of the field that was filled with nothing but brilliant white flowers. On their own, they were very pretty, but all together, they were gorgeous. Aurelia bent down to stroke a petal on the plant in front of her, but before she got the chance, the stem broke off from the ground and it rose gently into the air. Lucas smiled as he watched his friends marvel at the flower as it rose until it hit the sunlight, where it gleamed and shone in rainbow colors. Gaping mouths turned to grins as Ian began to touch all the flowers around him and Aurelia ran through the meadow, laughing and holding her hands in the air. Scores of flowers ascended to the sky, spiraling around one another and shimmering in the fading sunlight. Lucas stood by watching, pleased, until Ian gave him a playful shove, taking off after their wild friend.

"Oh, no you don't." Lucas ran behind him, trailing a few steps.

Aurelia stood still for a few moments, all smiles, sighing at the wondrous place they were brought. When the French boy caught up to her, panting slightly, she inquired, "Do you think this is one of the places he came with Scarlett?"

Ian looked her in the eyes. "Probably, but let's not bring that up. Can you-" with an _oomph_, Lucas tackled both of them to the ground, laughing victoriously. They tumbled all through the grass and sent flowers flying as they wrestled around for a few minutes. Lucas and Aurelia decided to team up, and together they sat on Ian, celebrating with a high five and bouncing on their captive. The victors fell on their back laughing, and Ian rolled over to freedom, finally able to breathe.

When her chuckles subsided, Aurelia remarked on how pretty the dusk sky was. "Where are we, anyhow?" she added suddenly remembering that neither she nor the eldest boy knew what forest they were laying in, or even what _country_.

"The Queen's Land." Lucas replied. "We're in England again."

Though no one could see because they were on their backs, Ian looked confused. "Wait, so we're not in Norway?"

"No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Well," Ian started, sounding unsure. "I thought that was the only country in Europe to have wild dragons."

Now it was Lucas' turn to be puzzled. "Yeah, they are. But what would make you think there are…" His older friend pointed to the sky and drew his attention to a dragon now flying directly overhead to the west. "Whoa, that shouldn't be there." The blonde wizard stood up, still studying the dragon above.

"So that's a loose dragon?" Aurelia asked as she and Ian got up as well.

The French boy was calculating the situation in his mind, still gazing at the beast in the sky. "It would have to be. Which would mean that the Ministry…" He spun around and stared into the forest in the direction of where the dragon flew from. Lucas and Aurelia turned to the same spot, their hands hovering over their wand pockets. Emerging from the forest was a line of Ministry officials that stretched further than they could see in either direction. Most looked to be from the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, judging by their equipment of dragonhide armor, but all of them angry. The pursuers were covered in soot and singed and smelled of fire, effects, no doubt, of trying to catch a dragon. Unfortunately, it looked like a few of them were tired of chasing the mythical beast and were going to settle for bringing in a few runaways. A group of witches and wizards stayed behind and formed a perimeter while the rest, including a battalion of broomstick riding enforcers who followed the dragon in the air, moved on ahead.

The three were trapped, and Ian, loquacious as ever, had the perfect words for their situation. "Shit."


End file.
